The 2025 NHL Draft officially began on Friday, and not surprisingly, the New York Islanders selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first overall selection.
There was a moment of emotion for Schaefer as he walked onto the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and was handed his new Islanders jersey, which was adorned with a breast cancer pink ribbon logo; his mother tragically passed away from the illness last year.
Not only did he kiss the logo, but he also fought back tears and pointed to the sky as if to acknowledge his mother, looking down on him, that he’d finally achieved his dream of making it to the NHL while shaking hands with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. The 17-year-old had to battle several odds to reach the zenith. He lost his mother and his billet mother, suffered from mononucleosis, and broke his clavicle. Such grit was undoubtedly going to command attention, and it did.
Matthew Schaefer Has Already Spoken To Several NHL Figures
On the opening day of Islanders Development Camp, Schaefer took the ice for the first time with several of his potential future teammates, but also disclosed that he’s not only spoken to a handful of regular Islanders roster players but also notable figures from around the NHL.
“I talked to Matthew Barzal and Bo Horvat,” Schaefer began. “Matthew Tkachuk reached out to me, Connor McDavid, Wayne Gretzky. A lot of great guys, and to have those guys reach out to you, it’s pretty cool.”
Connor McDavid, Matthew Tkachuk, and Wayne Gretzky are among those that have reached out to Matthew Schaefer
He also spoke with Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat today pic.twitter.com/JeNygsql0S
— Islanders Videos (@SNY_Islanders) June 30, 2025
“It becomes more real each and every day that you get drafted into the NHL,” he continued. “But like I said, you just have to work as hard as you can; nothing here is given. Each and every day, it’s hard work, hard work, hard work, in the gym and on the ice. Work as hard as you can and keep progressing.”
Schaefer arrived on the scene with the Islanders after being regarded as the consensus first overall selection, and there was little doubt that the Islanders, who missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, would let him pass.
Not only has he already displayed an aura of professionalism and gratitude for the chance to play in the best hockey league in the world, but he’s also been nothing but humble and shown every characteristic that the Islanders would need to see so far to confirm that, despite the short sample size, they made the right move by drafting him.
